Democrats Focus on G.O.P. Senators From Maine

[spanone]

WASHINGTON — Anxious about how little maneuvering room the weekend victory by Senate Democrats on health care provided, Obama administration officials and their Congressional allies are stepping up overtures to select Senate Republicans in hopes of winning their ultimate support.

The two moderate Republican senators from Maine, Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both say Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, reached out to them after he unveiled the Senate measure, encouraging them to bring forward their ideas and concerns.

Ms. Collins also received a personal visit from a high-level Obama emissary, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former senator who worked closely with her on various issues as part of a bipartisan coalition.

After the party-line vote of 60-39 on Saturday night to move to a full health care debate, including votes on significant amendments, both sides are acutely aware of the wavering in their ranks, and trying to figure out how to play the numbers.

Republican leaders conceded that the Democratic victory, while not conclusive, improved the odds that a bill would pass. “Ordinarily, when you do start debate on a bill like this, it ends up passing,” Senator John Kyl of Arizona, the assistant majority leader, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “When these senators, for example, say, well, we’ll vote to start the bill but that doesn’t guarantee our vote at the end, the pressure at the end of the process is enormous.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/health/policy/23health.html?pagewanted=print

[GrantDem]

1. I just don't understand what part of "they won't vote for the bill" the Dems don't get.

[DJ13]

2. Thats the reason those against real reforms want to compromise with them

Its the perfect cover for watering down the resulting bill in protecting the insurance companies from cost restraints and competition.

[ThomWV]

3. Somewhere in that pack of wolves you'd expect one that would think of the historical significance

How would you like to have your name on the losing side of a national program that will in time become as normal a part of the every day life of the nation as Social Security and Medicade? How does a Senator go back home and face that half of the voters he abandoned in favor of the Health Care Industry? You'd think it would be political suicide for anyone.

[jpak]

4. Good luck with that - Collns and Snowe take their marching orders from Mitch

and they will ALWAYS do his bidding.

Twist some Blue Dog tails say I

[saracat]

5. But some here deny this is even happening.THIS is why we don't have a "robust" PO

Bipartisanship is more important and "appearance" is more important than people.